"Still lie the sheltering snows, undimmed and white;
And reigns the winter's pregnant silence still;
No sign of spring, save that the catkins fill,
And willow stems grow daily red and bright.
These are days when ancients held a rite
Of expiation for the old year's ill,
And prayer to purify the new year's will."
Helen Hunt Jackson, A Calendar of Sonnet's: February

Don't forget to check the calendar(s) for session times. Sessions are held on different platforms, so be sure to find out where the session will take place:-

Trump in Poland (you are unwelcome, Mr Trump)

"Authorities in Hamburg are expecting up to 100,000 protesters at the G20, and mass demonstrations are also expected in London when he finally makes a long-awaited state visit to the UK.

But in Poland, the White House will be able to breathe easy.

The ruling party will bus in 50 people per parliamentarian, according to the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, guaranteeing a friendly crowd of thousands for President Trump's speech in Warsaw's symbolic Krasinski Square on Thursday. The square is home to a monument commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis."

Comments

@Xanthippe I am waiting what Mr President will say in his speech. Ruling party counts on this visit. According to opposition newspaper if he doesn't criticize a law change in Poland, that Justice and Law will effect their reform in courts.

@jackelliot, the problem is that the text on your blog overlooks one important subtlety - according to Wałęsa, Kaczyński does it involuntarily. That's true because demonstrations against his anti-democratic policy have united people otherwise not politically engaged.

As for Wałęsa, his time in politics came to an end because of many blunders he had committed. Well, he is rather a kind of icon.

My worry is that Trump will visit Nice on Friday as apparently he's been invited to celebrate 14 July with Macron and Macron has said he will come to Nice in memory of the attack there last 14 July. Not that I should care as I won't be there as I'll be going to Italy on Friday. No one likes him here though and it would be a shame to ruin the day with his presence.

An American Presidential visit is a terrible inconvenience for the locals. When George W Bush came to Sydney they closed off about 14km of roads right from the airport through the centre of the City to the other side of the Harbour Bridge. It was completely unnecessary because he could have done the short trip by helicopter.

@Xanthippe Trump made a fleeting visit to Paris on July 14. I was afraid he would accompany Macron on his visit to Nice on Friday but happily he stayed away. I met someone who said Trump was late leaving and that flights were delayed about an hour from Orly.

I thought this was a very cool departure from the norm. Macron is a very cool guy!